


Like a Challenge

by Driverpicksthemooseic (Ratkinzluver33)



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: And Dick totally embraces them, Drabble, Fluff and Angst, Jay has feelings, M/M, Photographs, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-08
Updated: 2014-06-08
Packaged: 2018-02-03 20:39:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1756521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ratkinzluver33/pseuds/Driverpicksthemooseic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason thought he'd burned that photo years ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like a Challenge

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [Like a Challenge](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1897344) by [Chrisw1933](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrisw1933/pseuds/Chrisw1933)



> I'm not a genius with comic canon history, but I know there was that one time in that one comic that one year where Dick and Jay went skiing that one time and they took a photo of it for safekeeping. Or something. I keep reading about Jay getting rid of said photo in fics everywhere, so I thought, "BUT WHAT IF DICK KEPT ANOTHER ONE HIDDEN SOMEWHERE?!!?" Then this little drabble happened. I don't know.

This was a bad idea. In fact, this was an absolutely terrible idea, and Jay had literally no idea how he ever convinced himself that doing this was okay. It was not okay. No doubt it was going to backfire like a bitch and ruin his life. Actually, knowing his luck, Bruce would probably be there, revelling in it. It'd be like a joyous family reunion. How sweet.

It was too late to turn back now, though. Not now he was literally hanging off the ledge of Dick's apartment window. He watched as a few pieces of cement dislodged themselves and fell stories below into the streets of Gotham, realising he didn't even have time to run away, to decide against this monumentally foolish decision. He climbed in.

He set booted feet firmly down onto the ratty carpeted floor, trying hard to remain silent. His years of practice held an advantage, but he was, however reluctant to admit it, _nervous._  He needed a place to stay for the night, and this was his last hope, but it was _Dick's apartment._ This wasn't a casual rest in the nearest abandoned warehouse. It was about as far from that as you got, and he couldn't for the life of him anticipate Dick's reaction. He had a fair fifty-fifty split on whether Dick hated him and waited with bated breath for any opportunity he got to violently attack him, or if Dick, conversely, still gave a shit and waited with bated breath for any opportunity he got to smother him with ridiculous Grayson-brand over-affection.

Quietly, he tiptoed into the bedroom, peeking through the door. Dick lay in bed, carelessly sprawled like a rag doll, remote held loosely in one hand. The TV was still on, Jay noted, which meant he could vaguely muffle his footsteps behind the sound of Dick's Netflix marathon. It also conveniently shed light onto the already shadowy room, where Jay could see Dick's sleeping face, right down to the slightly disgusting drool at the corner of his mouth. Jay turned his attention to Dick's nightstand, just to make sure there weren't any batarangs aimed his way. Luckily, there were only a few photos and a pack of almost-empty gum.

The ridiculous bangs, bright green eyes, and freckles glaring out at him from behind a frame caught his attention. Stilted, he approached the weathered piece of furniture, hands coming out to pluck the small photo from its position ahead of all the others. Clearly, this was Dick's favourite.

He stared down, suddenly hit, like a punch in the gut, with a sense of nostalgia, longing, and rage, mixed into a blend perfect enough for him to forget completely to be silent. He let out some sort of strangled noise, like a dying animal, and almost dropped the damn thing.

The photo of him and Dick skiing -- the photo he'd destroyed a long time ago.

He whipped his head around to Dick's sleeping form, almost _betrayed_  somehow, focusing wide eyes on the only thing that held an explanation. How could he wake Dick, knowing he'd have to explain precisely why he was here -- why he still thought he could ask the man for help. He swallowed, trying to keep down any other noises of confusion and frustration he wanted to make.

What _was_  this?

Why did Dick still have this?

Fury bubbled up, hot like tar, from a place even the great Red Hood had thought he'd locked down. Why the **_fuck_** did Dick still have this, when he'd gotten rid of it? It was supposed to be gone!

"Dick," he ground out, slowly.

The man, instincts honed to a fine point from years of training, woke up immediately, hands at the batarang hidden neatly underneath his pillow. Seeing the distinctive silhouette of Jay and his helmet, Dick relaxed significantly, stance softening in a way that made Jay uncomfortable, as confounding as that was.

"Morning, Little Wing," he murmured, voice thick from sleep.

Jay's eye twitched. "You wanna explain what this is, Circus Boy?"

"You didn't really think I only had one copy, did you?" asked Dick. The legitimate surprise in his voice made Jay's stomach twist.

That was it? _That_ was his explanation?

"You replaced it," he accused. Hysteria tinged his voice as he spoke. "Doesn't that sound fucking familiar. _Replaced._ "

Replaced, like an old dog whose approaching death had its owners counting down the days until the new puppy.

There was only supposed to be one photo. That was the entire _point._

"Jay," Dick admonished. "That photo is the only thing I own I couldn't bear to part with. Of course I had more than one."

Jay blinked. He suddenly found that he couldn't form words. It was just a fucking photo, he told himself. It was no more than paper and ink.

No, it meant a whole lot more than that. All the reasons he'd had for destroying it, yet Dick had had it with him all along...

What the fuck was he supposed to do now?

"Nobody's replaced you, Jay," Dick continued. He briefly looked towards the TV. "Oh. Well, now that you're here, do you wanna watch something with me? I'll even put on Supernatural for you."

"I don't even wa-"

"Are you really gonna lie to me, Jaybird? I know you."

"It's been more than five years since we last had 'family bonding time', Dickie. I think you're a little out-of-date."

"Yeah, well, we have a lot of catching up to do. Might as well start now," Dick said, shrugging.

Jay glanced at the picture, his own eyes staring cheerily back at him, glinting from the TV's glow, like a challenge. He glanced back to Dick's face, warm, happy, a mirror of the one from all those years ago.

"Fine," Jay said. "But only if we start on season four."

* * *

 

_FIN._


End file.
